Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (13-4-9) welcomes longtime foe Charleston Battery (8-7-10) at 7 p.m. this Saturday at Highmark Stadium. The Battery and Hounds played to 2-2 draw earlier this season in Charleston.
The Season So Far
This season has seen the Battery struggle to find stable footing in the Eastern Conference table. Charleston currently sits outside the playoffs in 11th place. Game postponements forced the club to only play 25 matches so far this season, tied for the lowest in the USL Championship.
The Battery’s play on the field have kept them in a playoff position for most of the season, but recently Charleston’s performance has trended downward. Contributing to the team’s slide in the standings, the Battery collected one win in six total matches within the month of August.
The Battery might be traveling with tired legs when they visit Highmark Stadium. They will be playing their third match in a one-week timespan. The Battery defeated Indy Eleven at home this past Sunday evening, however Charleston travels to Swope Park this upcoming Wednesday for a midweek showdown with the Rangers before transitioning to Pittsburgh for Saturday’s matchup.
Players to Watch
Charleston midfielder Zeiko Lewis has been the biggest weapon for the Battery’s attack. Lewis leads the team with six goals, 36 shots and 27 chances created. Earlier this season, Lewis scored a goal against the Hounds on a penalty kick in the 76th minute.
Goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky has started in 24 of 25 matches this season for Charleston. The Riverhounds collected two early goals against Kuzminsky when the two teams faced off in May. Look for his performance in net as a key indicator of the outcome of Saturday’s game.
Strength: Ambidextrous Scorers
Charleston’s goals this season has been equally distributed between both of its players’ left and right feet. Of the 29 goals scored using a player’s foot, 15 have been scored using a left foot with 14 being used with a right foot.
Weakness: Passing Volume
The Charleston Battery currently rank in last place in the USL Championship with 8,938 total passes.
